Must I Bargain?
by azurefang
Summary: Damon was shot and dying. Do we assume Klaus cured him? Did he ask for something in return? Was it a bit sexual?
1. Chapter 1

Must I Bargain?

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries does not belong to me.

_A/N Damon was shot and was dying of werewolf venom. And then he was cured. Klaus was in town. We have to assume Klaus cured Damon. Did he ask for anything in return? Was there a bargain of sorts? Was it a bit sexual? Not quite canon, obviously._

Damon stood in the house, looking in the mirror. He pulled aside the neck of his dark t-shirt and eyed the wound. It wasn't healing and he knew it would not. In fact, it was spreading. He had been shot and there had been werewolf venom on the bullet. But later, he had been shot several times while at the quarry with the Hunter. Ric had come and saved the day by killing the Hunter and taking the "cure" from him. Now he, Damon, was very ill and could barely stand. He would die soon unless he got the cure, either by taking the immortality cure, which he refused to do, or by getting blood from Klaus, who was in New Orleans. So death loomed nearby.

He hurt and he knew it would get worse. Earlier he could get around and pretend he was not going to die, but he was just kidding himself. The time was close at hand. He hated to think he was going to die this way. It had been almost two years since the last time he was poisoned. For a hundred and sixty-something years he had not known that werewolves existed and now in two years time, he had been poisoned twice.

Elena had been with him as the end approached that other time. She had seen him at his most vulnerable, at his weakest, at his most pathetic when he had given up all pretense of being brave. And then Katherine had come, bringing him a couple of ounces of Klaus' blood, the cure for his condition. Such a relief.

But the price had been high. For a whole summer his younger brother had been forced to travel with Klaus, forced to resort to being the Ripper, forced to do whatever Klaus wanted. Stefan had made the bargain in order to save his brother and Damon knew it.

This time Stefan couldn't do that because Klaus was down in New Orleans. Even if Stefan or Damon phoned him and begged him to get on a plane and come help him, there was no reason that Klaus would do it and no guarantee that it would be in time if Klaus didn't do it right away. Caroline had called, but she had not actually talked to Klaus.

This dying was very inconvenient. Today was the day of the high school graduation. Elena, Caroline and Bonnie, not to mention Stefan, had actually received their diplomas. How many times had Stefan done that? Fifteen, twenty times? Damon had only attended a few of those ceremonies. Way too often, he and his younger brother had been at odds and nowhere near each other in location. Or he hadn't cared enough to attend. This time he had cared, but he had been too sick to attend.

If nothing else, one thing had been accomplished today. The immortal being Silas had been turned to stone by Bonnie. Now, all they had to do was dispose of the rough "statue". The plan was to put it in a metal box and drop it down into the water-filled quarry that was not many miles away. Maybe it would break into pieces or dissolve in the water and the remains of Silas would be gone forever.

Damon knew he had the strength to do the job. He had rented a pickup truck and found an old metal box, some sort of safe, but not one that had heavy, thick walls. After all, he had to be able to heft the thing with a stone statue inside. The job would probably have to be done by Stefan later. In the meantime, Silas wasn't going anywhere.

Lexi and Ric were with him in the house, hanging around, drinking, trying not to look depressed that he was dying. They had given up harassing him about using the immortality cure to save his life. His argument was that Elena eventually would want it and he was determined that it be available for her, even at the cost of his own life.

He asked Ric to help him outside to the back patio. This was his last afternoon and he wanted to see the sun sink into the west. Ric took hold of his arm to steady him and walked him outside and to a chair. It was a nice late spring day, still warm and sunny. Wearily, with drink in hand, he sat down. As Ric moved to take a seat, Damon indicated that he wanted a few minutes alone. The older man nodded and went indoors.

Damon looked out at the back yard, an expanse of lawn, shrubs and plants that would soon bloom. There was a two-tier fountain out there, but the water was not on. Would Stefan remember to have maintenance done on the fountain before turning it on for the summer? Probably not.

For two years now he had been in Mystic Falls while his brother and the beloved Elena worked their way through their junior and senior years of high school. Considering all the time they had missed from school due to problems with vampires, werewolves and witches, it was a miracle that they were graduating at all.

They had lost a lot of friends along the way, plus some family members. Bonnie's grandmother was gone and her mother was now a vampire. Matt Donovan's sister was gone, a dead vampire. Caroline's father was gone. Her boyfriend Tyler Lockwood was a hybrid and on the run from Klaus. Tyler certainly would not be standing up on the stage to receive his diploma. His mother, had Klaus not murdered her, would be disappointed that her son did not graduate. Alaric had died, a personal loss for him, Damon. Best buddy ever. It was wonderful that he was here now, if only briefly.

And then there was Elena. She had lost every member of her family, her adoptive parents, her biological parents, her Aunt Jenna, her legal guardian Alaric and worst of all, her half-brother Jeremy. Jeremy's death, along with Elena's becoming a vampire, had been the last straw, sending the girl into a terrible spin. Damon knew he was partly to blame for Elena's problems, but there was nothing to be gained by dwelling on that.

He didn't know if Elena loved him or not. She herself didn't know. Not having her love was as painful as his wounds. He closed his eyes and thought of the one night they had spent together in his bed, loving each other, having his hands all over her, actually finally having sex with her. It had been great. He had been so damned happy. Then he had found out it was probably just the sire bond that he hadn't even known existed between them. What a cruel turn of events.

As the westering sun beat down on him and warmed his chilled body, he thought he heard someone coming around the house. He opened his eyes and looked, sustaining a bit of a shock when he saw that it was Klaus Mikaelson dressed in a suit! If he hadn't known that Silas was now stone, he would have feared that the man he saw was really Silas. No, it was Klaus! He had his own way of walking, his own amused smirk on his face. The sun shown off his dark blond hair and glinted off the golden stubble on his jaw.

Damon set his drink aside, stood up unsteadily and moved a step or two toward him, trying to be ready for anything. That was a laugh. He could barely stand. He doubted he could do anything against the hybrid. Did he dare to hope Klaus was actually there to help him?

"Klaus. I thought you were in New Orleans."

"I was. I had an invitation to Caroline's graduation. I couldn't miss seeing her, although I wasn't seated in the audience."

"So, your attraction to Caroline is strong enough to have you make the trip. I get the impression she doesn't care for you near as much."

"I am ever hopeful. I know she loves that traitor Tyler. My graduation gift to her is to let Tyler come back. They can have each other. But some day…"

"That's generous of you. What brings you here to my house?"

"You want me to leave?" Klaus asked, moving closer and studying Damon's ashen face and seeing the slight trembling.

"No! I need your blood, Klaus. I've been wounded by bullets dipped in werewolf venom." He didn't even have to pull the neck of his shirt aside due to the fact that the infection was spreading up his neck. He knew Klaus could see his condition.

"Oh dear. How careless of you."

"I know. Stupid me. What do you say, Klaus? Will you help me again?"

"What is in it for me?"

"My heartfelt thanks, I guess. And Stefan's. Even Caroline's. We have defeated Silas, you know. That's a plus, isn't it? I know you hate Silas."

"Miss Bennett defeated Silas, not you. Caroline told me."

"What the hell do you want, Klaus? Must I bargain for your blood?" A wave of pain and nausea moved through him. He swallowed hard and refused to vomit the alcohol he had consumed.

"Let me think, mate. What might I want from you?"

"Don't take too long. I don't think I have a long time left. I'm about ready to collapse here. I'm starting to sweat. You know we vampires don't normally sweat unless we are really very sick, like dying."

"Are you in much pain?"

"More than I would like and it's getting worse. I'm hoping Stefan or Elena will come home. Ric is here in the house. I won't have to die alone." He shivered and considered sitting back down. He needed to sit back down. However, sitting down would give Klaus the advantage of looking down on him. As long as he was standing, he felt they were equal. He worked hard to keep upright.

He held a steady gaze on the hybrid and saw Klaus look him over from his head to his feet and back up half-way, briefly stopping at his crotch. Klaus then smirked and looked him in the eyes.

"Back in Chicago you came to me and proposed that I take you as my traveling mate and let Stefan go," Klaus said. "You said you were more fun than Stefan."

"I am. Or I would be if I weren't dying. I'm a fun guy. Good with jokes and a good drinking buddy. I'm no Ripper, you understand, but I've tortured and killed my share."

"I'm afraid that is not what I mean." Klaus lifted an eye brow at him and gave him a crooked smile.

"Uh huh," Damon said, knowing what Klaus meant. "If you insist, if that's the bargain price, then yes, I can do that, too. Whatever. Like I said, I can be a fun guy. But I need your blood first."

Klaus looked at him for a long moment, studying him and thinking. Then he removed his suit jacket and laid it on the arm of one of the chairs. He pulled up the right sleeve of his dress shirt and moved toward Damon.

Damon wasn't sure what the next move would be. He felt relief in that he was sure now that Klaus was going to give him some blood. Whatever else happened, he would deal with it. He couldn't refuse Klaus and win, so the smart thing to do would be to get the blood and keep his word about the other. It was not that big a deal to him.

He suspected that Ric was watching from the back door or kitchen window. He didn't want Ric to interfere and he supposed that he would not unless he collapsed or Klaus struck him or something. Lexi couldn't come outside, so she could not help if needed and he didn't think Stefan and Elena had arrived home yet.

Klaus walked close to Damon, took hold of his nearest arm and held him still while he moved behind the younger man. Damon didn't move as Klaus slipped his arms around him and drew their bodied tight against each other. They were about the same height and Damon could feel the hybrid's breath against the back of his neck. He could feel something else against the seat of his jeans, while Klaus' left hand slid down the front of Damon's body to a position just above his belt, pressing him firmly backward. He didn't care; he need the support. All that really mattered was the bare arm across his chest, also holding him up and so temptingly close to his mouth.

Apparently satisfied with things as they stood, Klaus moved his right wrist up in front of Damon's mouth. It took only a second for Damon to let down his fangs and use his trembling hands to hold the offered wrist. He bit into the flesh and tasted the blood as it spurted from the punctured artery into his mouth. Instantly he knew that the blood, straight from the hybrid's body, had quite a kick to it.

Both Damon and Klaus knew that feeding directly from someone, be it vampire or human, was a sexual experience to a certain extent, which was why vampires tended to bite during or immediately after intercourse. Feedback through the bite could cause considerable pleasure to the bitten, as long as the vampire was not being vicious about it and the bitten was not frightened or angry. Because of this, Damon felt more than just the relief of taking the blood and Klaus felt more than just having someone drink from his wrist. They continued in this unique joining until Klaus pulled his wrist out of Damon's grasp. He held Damon close with his left arm and licked any residual blood from his wrist.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it, love?" he asked in Damon's ear.

"All right. I'll admit it was good, Klaus. Thank you for coming here and sharing your blood," Damon said and he meant it as he licked his own lips and wiped away a trickle of blood on his chin. He was leaning back against the hybrid's strong body, feeling the strength returning to his own body and the pain of the poison receding. When Klaus suddenly released him and stepped away, he had to quickly regain his balance.

Klaus picked up his coat and held it over his arm. He grinned at Damon and said, "That is all I want from you, mate. Perhaps in the future you may do something helpful for me." With a nod of his head, he walked off toward the side of the house.

Damon watched him go with mixed feelings. He couldn't deny that what he had just experienced with Klaus had been sexual and satisfying. It was also a great relief to him to know he was cured of the vile poison. He heard the back door open and he didn't care that Ric had watched what had happened. He turned and grinned at his friend.

"Looks like I'm going to live. Everything I thought I was losing, is not lost. Life goes on."

"Let's drink to that, pal," Ric said, grinning back.

_A/N Hope you liked this little story._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_A/N I didn't intend to have more than one chapter, but then I thought of this. So, this little story has two chapters. However, there really is no more to this bargain between Damon and Klaus beyond what I have written here._

Damon slowly followed Ric through the back door and into the big kitchen. Despite having just been "cured" of the werewolf poison by Klaus' blood, he was still sore and weak. The recovery was not an instant thing. After all, he had been shot in the left shoulder and later in the chest, abdomen and left thigh. The Hunter Vaughn had rather lost patience with him when Damon had tried to convince him that he had thrown Silas' body into the quarry. It was quite likely that Vaughn would have shot him again and tossed him into the water-filled quarry if Ric had not come along and snapped his neck. It was Vaughn who had ended up down in the deep water.

Ric had had the foresight to yank from the Hunter's neck the vial of "cure," which had been in the possession of a lot of people since its retrieval from Silas' burial cave. He had wanted Damon to use it so that he would become human and be cured of the werewolf poison, but Damon had refuse. Now, Damon felt justified in having refused. He was cured anyway.

In the kitchen, he saw that Jeremy, also at the house, had come downstairs and joined Ric and Lexi as they watched Damon. He felt a bit self-conscious, feeling that they were watching his every move, wondering if he was going to fall down, if he was really healing, how long it would take, how much he was still suffering.

He wanted to tell them not to worry, that he was going to be alright, despite the fact that he still looked a little rocky. He also didn't look good because he was still wearing the clothes in which he had been wounded. When Ric had brought him home, their least concern was about his bloody clothes.

He hadn't bled a lot right after he was wounded. His own vampire healing strength had stopped much of the bleeding and had partly closed the holes in his intestines and his lung, but the werewolf venom had prevented further healing and had begun its own manner of shutting down parts of his system, damaging his internal organs. Repairs were now on-going, but he certainly didn't feel recovered.

He was also aware that he smelled. He could smell the stink of the sweat of sickness, although he was no longer sweating. He wanted to go up to his room and shed the nasty clothes and take a nice hot shower. Maybe even fill the bathtub and soak.

For the moment, though, he sat down on a kitchen chair and sipped the drink Ric handed him. He then heard Stefan's voice and then Elena's. The pair had come in the front door.

"Jeremy? Damon?" came Elena's voice. Damon's heart always jumped when he saw or heard the young woman he loved. This time she would not be watching him dying.

"In the kitchen," Jeremy called back. In a moment, Stefan and Elena came into the kitchen. Their eyes went right to Damon.

"Klaus came by," Damon said. "I'm going to live." He was pleased to see the looks of relief on their faces. "No, Elena, don't come close. I really stink. I need to go take a shower. Stefan, how about you come upstairs with me."

He downed the rest of his drink before setting the glass on the table. He got to his feet not very gracefully, dizzy for a moment. Then he and Stefan headed for the nearby back stairway.

"Geez, you really do stink," Stefan said, following him up the stairs.

"That's the smell of werewolf venom doing its thing throughout the body," Damon said. "Last time, Elena was with me and she didn't say one word about how I smelled. You aren't that polite."

"Yeah, well, sometimes I tell it like it is," Stefan said, wrinkling his nose.

Going up the stairs proved to be painful because of the injured left thigh muscles. Damon halted for a moment.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. Just need to do this differently. Like I have a stiff left leg." He proceeded up the stairs by stepping up with his right and then easing the left up beside the right. It was slower going that way, but less painful.

"You're getting old and crippled."

"Shut up."

"And crabby." Stefan didn't mind picking on his brother, since he was going to recover.

At the top of the stairs, they headed down the long hallway to the front of the house where Damon's master bedroom was located. Once inside the room, Stefan closed the door, assuming his brother was going to strip down. He watched Damon work at pulling the tee shirt up over his head. The dried blood had it stuck to his chest and shoulder.

"Here. Let me help you. I can't stand to see your pathetic struggles," Stefan said, but not in a mean voice.

Damon glared at him, but let him pull the shirt up and ease it over the wounded shoulder where the bullet hole had closed. Blood was smeared all over his chest, but the wound there had closed, too.

As Damon undid his belt and the jeans, he said, "Klaus' blood has quite a kick to it. I had some last year, but it was in a small bottle. But man, right from his wrist it was powerful."

"I know. Been there, done that. I wasn't sure he would come to you, even though he told us right after the graduation ceremony that he would. Caroline would have given him a really hard time if he hadn't agreed to it."

Stefan bent down and undid the laces on the shoes Damon had on so he could kick them off. He then eased the jeans down, peeling the fabric away from where it was stuck to the thigh skin and then off Damon's feet. He looked at the thigh wound where the hole was closed, but mean-looking.

"Did you get the bullets out?" he asked as Damon pushed down his briefs, which dropped to his ankles, where he stepped out of them. He had a hand on Stefan's shoulder for balance.

"The one in my shoulder and the one in my thigh. The other two are still in me, but I guess they will work their way out some day." As he walked slowly into the bathroom, he told Stefan about his encounter with Klaus.

"At least he didn't ask you to drop your pants. He might have, you know."

"I know. I thought he might, but he didn't. I'm glad. I was in too bad shape for that sort of thing and I'm sure he knew it. I was so weak. He felt so damned strong. If he hadn't been holding me up, I probably would have just fallen down on the deck."

"He _is_ strong. And as much as we often hate him, he can be kind and gentle and compassionate."

"Yeah, sure. I suppose he's just like the rest of us. We have two sides. I mean, I can be a kind, gentle, sweet guy if I want to be," Damon said with a snort, turning on the water in the shower so it would get hot.

"A side of you we rarely see."

"But it's still there. Damn, Stef, things came pretty close today," Damon said, stepping into the shower stall and closing the glass door. "I'm not ready to die. I mean, I suppose I know it could happen any day, but if I have time to think about it a lot, I find I'm not ready. Except when I'm hurting badly and I know it's not going to get better. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm glad you're still here."

"Good to hear it, little brother. So, you graduated? You got a new diploma to add to the others?" The hot water felt very good on his chilled body. He began cleaning off the sweat and blood by shampooing his hair.

"Yup. But you know what was great? Elena went up there and received hers and she had a big smile on her face. It was so good to see her really happy. She hugged Bonnie twice! All is forgiven between the two of them. But there was something about Bonnie."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Like she was sad, but trying to hide it. She still has to try to close the veil tonight. Maybe she thinks she can't do it."

"She better do it. We've got some bad people out and about. But, damn, I hate to see Ric go back." He rinsed his hair and began scrubbing the sticky blood from his chest.

"And Lexi. And it's going to hurt Elena to give up Jeremy again," Stefan said.

"I'm sure, but she is better prepared to handle it now, I think. They have had time to talk," Damon said, using a bath brush on his back. In a way, he could still feel the pressure of Klaus' hard body against his back and the strong arms around him. And the taste of the Original's blood was still in his mouth, despite the drink of liquor he had had after returning to the kitchen.

He quickly finished washing himself and then turned off the water. He opened the door and saw that Stefan was looking at himself in the full-length mirror. His younger brother cared how he looked. "Hand me that towel, will you?"

Stefan handed over a big, fluffy towel and he watched Damon dry off. Now that his skin was clean, it was easy to see where the bullet holes had been. The skin was intact, but there were traces of bruises. These would soon be gone. Probably the only reminder of the wounds would be a stomach ache from the bullet holes made in the intestines causing spillage into the abdomen. The holes were healed, but the body would take a couple of days to clean up the spillage. It was a common result of being shot or stabbed in the belly. Both brothers had experienced that many times.

Damon put on underwear and jeans and slip-on shoes. He was picking out a shirt from the closet when there was a knock on the door. Stefan opened it to find Elena there. He stepped back and she walked in.

"I'm going downstairs," he said and he left Elena with Damon.

Damon slipped his arm into a sleeve of the button-up shirt and she looked him over. She asked if he was alright now and he assured her that he was recovered and fine, which was mostly true. Just having her there made him feel good.

She hauled off and slapped him hard, almost knocking him back a step. She glared at him and he knew she was upset. It turned out she was upset with him for a couple of reasons, one being that he had let himself be injured and poisoned. She also said his attitude toward danger made her mad. He took stupid chances.

He felt some anger rise. He told her he was the way he was. If she didn't like it, too bad. He was not going to apologize for being himself. He was then stunned when she said she loved him. Him, not Stefan. He felt tremendous relief and he kissed her passionately. She most certainly kissed him back.

The two of them then went back downstairs and already Damon's leg allowed him to go down the steps the normal way. Besides, he didn't want to appear lame in front of Elena. She preceded him and he watched her body as she moved. Damon knew she had not yet talked to Stefan, who really didn't know how she felt about each of them anymore, now that she had her emotions turned back on, now that the sire bond was no longer in effect. What she was feeling was real now.

Down in the living room, she asked where Jeremy was and Ric said he had left to go find Bonnie. Now that the dark of evening had come, he was unlikely to be spotted by anyone who knew he was dead and other students should no longer be at the high school.

The group sat around for a while talking about the various things that had happened and their hope that Bonnie was able to close the veil soon and completely. There was no doubt that some very dangerous people were out and about, including Kol, who had not been seen or heard of for a while.

Damon noticed that Elena didn't hurry to tell Stefan about her choice, but he also suspected that Stefan had eaves-dropped on the conversation in the bedroom. Stefan had become quieter with a hint of a sullen expression as he drank a refill of his liquor. Much earlier, he had been drinking and partying with Lexi. Now he was getting drunk again. He knew.

The doorbell rang and when Damon went to answer it, he found Klaus standing there. The hybrid had his usual annoying smile on his face. Damon felt a twinge of concern. Had Klaus come back to collect more on the bargain? Was the price for the blood not quite paid for?

"What do you want, Klaus?" Damon asked, a fake smile on his face. He was not about to invite Klaus in nor did he want Elena to overhear the conversation. He stepped outside and closed the door.

"I believe you have yet to pay for my blood, mate."

"I ask again, what do you want? I mean specifically what do you want me to do?"

"I have given it some thought. As you may have guessed, there are several things you might do. Or rather, you might let me do to you. Tell me you have thought of that."

"Yeah, I've thought about it. And?"

"Are you agreeable? Do we still have a bargain?"

"I don't like it, but yes, we still have a bargain. I don't think I'm in a position to re-negotiate, am I?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Where?" Damon asked, annoyed, but resigned. He hated to give in to the hybrid. He hated to be used, but he might as well get it over with, but not on the front porch.

Klaus seemed to read his mind or his expression. The Original laughed out loud for a moment.

"You jump to conclusions, love," he said in almost a whisper. "What I want from you is to keep an eye on Caroline. I have to return to New Orleans and I want you to report to me what is going on with her. If Tyler Lockwood comes back. If Caroline is happy. That sort of thing."

Damon was surprised. He hadn't considered anything like that. He found himself relaxing when he hadn't even realized how tense he had become. So, Klaus really loved Caroline a great deal. Even from New Orleans he would worry about her.

"I can do that," he said, although it crossed his mind that if Elena suddenly decided that she loved Stefan instead, then he, Damon, might up and leave Mystic Falls. He didn't mention that to Klaus.

"Well, that eases my mind," Klaus said. "And perhaps some day we can explore that other thing that you were so sure I was going to ask of you. Good night, Damon Salvatore."

Damon might have made some snarky comeback, but Klaus had vanished in a blur into the night. With considerable relief, Damon opened the door and went back inside. He found Ric, Lexi, Stefan and Elena still in the living room. He told them Klaus had come by and asked him to sort of keep an eye on Caroline and keep Klaus up to date on what she was doing.

Elena finally asked to speak to Stefan and the two of them left the room and went to the study. She spoke to him in there and those in the living room managed to overhear. She had made her decision and was sticking to it. When they came back to the living room, Stefan looked unhappy, although he tried to hide it. The younger brother now knew for certain that it was Damon she loved, truly loved.

In addition, Stefan had tried to give her the vial of "cure" and she had tried to give it to him. It seemed to Damon, listening, that those who wanted it refused to take it, not wanting to be selfish. What was going to happen to the vial in the end? Who would end up with it and actually swallow the liquid?

Elena then left to go find Bonnie and Jeremy, supposedly in the cave below the school kitchen. She wanted to say goodbye to him and to watch Bonnie close the veil. Damon, feeling a bit awkward toward his brother, helped Stefan load Silas' turned-to-stone body into a vehicle. But Stefan seemed all right with the situation. Damon offered to help him dump the body in the quarry, but Stefan said Lexi would go with him.

Stefan told him he was not happy about Elena's decision, but then again, he was not _unhappy _for Damon.

"Thank you, brother," Damon said. He really didn't want his brother hating him as so often had been the case down through the years. He watched Stefan and Lexi climb into the truck and drive off.

And so, finally, Damon went back into the house where only he and Ric remained. They would drink and keep each other company until Ric was taken back behind the veil. And Damon assumed Klaus would go back to New Orleans, the bargain completed.

_A/N I suppose I might get another chapter out of this, depending on what happens when the series starts again next month. We'll see._


End file.
